“When Frankie Byrne heard a woman had been killed by two pit bulls at a Sam Lee Road trailer, she knew exactly which animals were involved.

The Knox County animal control officer got acquainted with Mafia Lee and Passion Maria on Aug. 28 after deputies in the area encountered the dogs ‘running loose and … chasing a trash collector,’ then attacking the bumper of a patrol car that blocked their pursuit.

‘I knew that something bad was going to happen with those dogs when the sheriff’s deputies were telling me the story,’ said Byrne, who filled out “dangerous dog” paperwork but said she wants tougher laws addressing problem animals.

…[Byrne] returned to the Sam Lee Road trailer Friday, three days before the woman’s death, to make sure all was well.

“I stopped by, and (the owner) had the dogs loose in the front yard … which is a violation of the classification,” she said. The dogs were required to be kept in a fully enclosed, inescapable pen, in the house or on a leash.

Byrne did not issue a citation, pointing out that it would have been a $50 fine at most.”

Please send your respectful letters to Knox County Commissioners and politely inform them that breed-specific legislation in any form is ineffective and unenforceable. An enforced leash law and a non-breed-specific dog law are more than adequate to police irresponsible dog owners of any breed.

Indeed. This case illustrates just how often there is prior knowledge by the owner and Animal Control that dogs that go on to attack or kill were a threat. In other words, this tragedy could’ve been prevented and instead of looking at the breed or breeds, even though “pit bull” is not a breed, we should all be asking some serious questions of the ACO, Animal Control, and the owner.